Writing a description of a person doesn't have to be difficult. Once you master writing basic descriptions, presented in these steps, just keep practicing. You'll be writing better descriptions of people in no time.

Ad

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Getting Started

1

Observe real people. As with dialogue, you have to observe real people to be able to replicate that realness with words. So grab a pen or pencil and something to write on and get out into public.

Observe strangers in a public place, like the mall or a coffee shop or even the library. Write down descriptions of them. What are they wearing? What color is their hair? How are they walking? Are they striding confidently, or are they hunched over and furtive? What quirks do you observe? Do they tap their fingers as they drink coffee, are they chewing on a pen? Are they laughing to themselves?

You don't have to write an entire description while you're observing, just jot down a few notes to give yourself ideas for later. All these observations tell us something about a person and you'll need them for when you start describing people.

Pay attention to your family and friends. They all have habits and personality quirks that you've become accustomed to. Start jotting those down, as well. Describing people you know well can be great practice.

Ad

2

Read descriptions of people from authors you admire. You aren't looking to copy them exactly but to figure out what works for them and why it works. Analyzing someone else's work is important, because it gives you ideas on how to make your own work do something similar.

"Crowley had dark hair, and good cheekbones, and he was wearing snakeskin shoes, or at least presumably he was wearing shoes, and he could do really weird things with his tongue. And, whenever he forgot himself, he had a tendency to hiss. He also didn't blink much."[1] This description gives an outline of physical features, but leaves most of the formation up to the reader. What it does do is highlight Crowley's "otherness," because Crowley, is in fact, a demon. Other things that can be gleaned from this one passage: Crowley wears good clothing (the snakeskin shoes), he is trying to fit into being a human, but not quite succeeding, and he doesn't always maintain control over himself.

"Suddenly Frodo noticed that a strange-looking weather-beaten man, sitting in the shadows near the wall, was also listening intently to the hobbit-talk. He had a tall tankard in front of him, and was smoking a long-stemmed pipe curiously carved. His legs were stretched out before him, showing high boots of supple leather that fitted him well, but had seen much wear and were now caked with mud. A travel-stained cloak of heavy dark-green cloth was drawn close about him, and in spite of the heat of the room he wore a hood that overshadowed his face; but the gleam of his eyes could be seen as he watched the hobbits."[2] Aragorn's introduction gives clues that he is not what the Breefolk think him--his clothing is well-made, but it is worn. He smokes a "curiously carved pipe" which speaks to his odd origins. Tolkien shows him being interested in the hobbits, but being removed, casting onto doubt his intentions.

Notice that both these descriptions are part of the story. They set-up further action instead of stopping it to describe every detail. The Tolkien example, frames the first look at Aragorn as being done by Frodo, who is noticing the character's interest in him. This passage also highlights Frodo's own heightened wariness.

Ad

Part 2 of 3: Writing your Description

1

Decide how you are using your description. Descriptions can be as long or as short as they need to be to accomplish your goal, but those goals are different for each writer. Both examples above are introducing the person, but that isn't always the case.

Word choice is important. It will be different depending on the person. In the above Tolkien description the pipe and the "dark-green cloth" are clues that this character is not the bad guy he might be presented as. Think about what you are trying to invoke with your description.

Another example of word choice: "Rose was waiting on a bank of seats in the foyer, and for a split second Laurel saw her as one might a stranger. She was wrapped in a purple crocheted shawl that gathered at the front in a pink bow, and her wild hair, silver now, was roped in a loose plait over one shoulder. Laurel suffered a pang of almost unbearable affection when she noticed the bread tie holding her sister's plait together."[3] This passage describes both Rose and Laurel, but gives the reader Laurel's thoughts. It shows Laurel loves her sister (and not just that, but that a certain trait of her sister's draws out that love), it shows that she is feeling removed from her family. It also paints Rose as absentminded, and feminine. She uses a bread tie for her hair, she wears a purple crocheted shawl. The chosen words evoke this description.

2

Extensive detail doesn't mean good. Don't feel you have to describe every last detail of the person. You want to be specific enough to give your reader something to imagine, while still leaving much of that imagining up to your reader.

Hemingway's short description in this example works to both describe Catherine, and the narrator's interest in her: "She had wonderfully beautiful hair and I would lie sometimes and watch her twisting it up in the light that came in the open door and it shone even in the night as water shines sometimes just before it is really daylight."[4]

A good rule of thumb for writing descriptions is using no more than three of the five senses. So if you've evoked sight and sound and smell, it's not necessary to bring in touch and taste. This is only a guideline, of course, but it's something to consider.[5]

3

Show don't tell. While telling isn't always bad, showing will help bring the description to life. In the examples above, Tolkien doesn't say "Aragorn was dirty and didn't want to be part of the crowd." He draws attention to the wear and tear of his clothes, the mud on his boots, and the manner in which he is sitting in a corner with his hood over his face.

An example of telling: "Margaret had red hair and was very tall. She didn't like it and wished people wouldn't notice her, so she was buying hair dye." The problem here is that this description gives everything away, without evoking anything. It also doesn't vary its sentences. They both have a similar rhythm.

Now the example of showing: "Margaret towered over most people. She refused to wear high heels, and when she walked she hunched her shoulders and ducked her head. Her shock of flame-red hair didn't help. Now she stared at the dye options on the shelf in front of her, biting her cuticle." What happens here is that the reader feels Margaret's discomfort with herself, without it being spelled out (apologies for the pun). Active words are used: "hunching," "ducked," "towered," "stared," "biting." Her actions are described. She won't wear high heels because she hates being noticed, which both her height and her hair made impossible. The description gives the reader an idea of her appearance, as well as her personality.

Ad

Part 3 of 3: Editing your Descriptions

1

Write more than one draft of your description. Your first draft will not be perfect. In fact, it probably won't be very good. That's okay! Rewrite it multiple times.

Try to avoid adverbs. These pesky little words are often used when telling instead of showing. Your writing will be stronger if you find other ways of showing the emotion, or description, that the adverb is telling. Examples of adverbs: lovely, slowly, quickly, angrily, pleasantly.

Read your description out loud. Hearing your writing out loud will help you understand the rhythm of your writing, and help you to eliminate any clunky phrases or odd wording.

Have a trusted friend or family member read it and give you their suggestions. Your brain will often overlook errors, because it already knows what the description is supposed to look like. Having someone else read your description will also help you know if you evoked the person well enough.

2

Remember that descriptions should move the story along. A reader will often give up if description goes on and on without providing story to go with it. Make sure that you're providing insight into the character, or story in your description. By focusing on three things you'll make sure that your description keeps the reader interested. Pay attention to this when you're editing your description.

Motivation of a character: Giving motivation of the character gives the reader something to imagine along with the description and to see how this person fits into the framework of the story. Margaret's motivation, for example, in the paragraph is that she will do all kinds of things to avoid being noticed, like dying her hair.

Specific detail: Again, this has to come as a balance with too much detail on one hand and too little on the other. Margaret , from the example, hunches, towers, ducks her head and has flame-red hair.

Insight into a character: what does the description reveal about the person being described? For Margaret, it's that she hates being tall and that she doesn't want people to notice her and that she is anxious.

3

Keep writing. The more you write, the better you will get. So keep reading and analyzing and writing. It takes practice to be skilled at anything, so practice, practice, practice your descriptions.

Look back over your early work. You will be amazed how far you've come and you can take that opportunity to examine what does and doesn't work in your earlier descriptions.

Ad

We could really use your help!

Can you tell us about

Engine Parts?

Yes

No

Can you tell us about

Coloring Hair?

Yes

No

Can you tell us about

Sewing Clothes?

Yes

No

Can you tell us about

Martinis?

Yes

No

Thanks for helping! Please tell us everything you know about

...

Tell us everything you know here. Remember, more detail is better.

Tips

Provide details.

Please be as detailed as possible in your explanation. We will take your detailed information, edit it for clarity and accuracy, and incorporate it into an article that will help thousands of people.Don't say: Eat more fats.Do say: Add fats with some nutritional value to the foods you already eat. Try olive oil, butter, avocado, and mayonnaise.

Tips

Keep a notebook with you wherever you go. This way you can jot down notes about the people riding the bus, or on an airplane, or at your favorite bookstore. You will get good practice from paying attention to the people around you and describing them.

Warnings

Don't get discouraged if your descriptions aren't great when you start out. You will get better as you practice as long as you keep working at it.